Apps on smartphones can preform more services than just the facilitation of social media, but a way to increase consumerism. The music industry is realizing that the next generation of music distribution is going to happen through applications on mobile devices. One brand and artist that have teamed up to release a new album is Samsung and rapper Jay-Z.

Jay-Z recently released his new album “Magna Carter Holy Grail” to the public, but not before attempting to release one million free copies through a Samsung app. Jay-Z’s business savvy idea to release his album free of cost to the users of this Samsung app was applauded by marketers in the music industry. He is creating the platform for future artists album release dates. Lady Gaga has said that she expects to release her next album via application distribution tactics.

The free album release through Samsung’s app did not come without hiccups however as users were not happy with the downloading process results. Many complaints occurred regarding technical glitches and user privacy issues. Problems began when users experienced delays in downloading the music at the release time. Users began to close and reopen the app in hopes of having a better download experience, but this only resulted in a major back up of the company’s servers.

With respect to privacy issues, for the many that were able to download the album successfully, they were turned off by the amount of personal information that was required to submit to the application. Information requested by the app ranged from physical location to data usage on their phones. The app also required users to sign into either Facebook or Twitter, which would then send out social media updates about simple activity taken by the consumer. Director of digital marketing for Samsung Telecommunications America, Colleen McDuffe, said that all of the information requests were required to make the app function as planned, and that the requirement to go public on social media wasn’t meant to be intrusive.

Musicians and companies are still feeling out digital etiquette and new rules as apps are gaining popularity. It is clear that future album releases and promotional events will continue to take place through apps. This release strategy by Samsung and Jay-Z was closely looked at by the music industry and will serve as a template for the future.